Half a Decade and Going Strong

As I sit down to write this article in celebration of new starts (New Year’s Day) and my 5 years or half a decade at RevRoad (actually it's more like 5.25 years because of all the pre-building before we opened the doors), I’m overwhelmed with the initiatives in which I’ve been able to participate and/or lead. As I reflect on my goals set in the past and new ones forming, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude, which happens to be one of the 3 values at RevRoad. I love this day for many reasons, some of which I outline in this article and I look forward to a robust and healthy 2022 for RevRoad, our portfolio companies, investors, partners, my team, and myself. I mainly wrote this out to get my thoughts down on paper as I prepare for a new year. You’re welcome to read along as well.?

As I remember my ‘first day’ as we built RevRoad I’m humbled with the progress we’ve made, taking a company from an idea to a fully functioning enterprise.? As a team we have superseded many of the projections we originally set.? It has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but the rewards have been awe inspiring. Below I’ve listed a few.?

This won't be a long post but I wanted more than anything to remind myself of all the incredibly cool things I've been able to participate in this adventure called RevRoad. In fact, I’d like to start with gratitude for the opportunity I had to name the company and lead the building of the brand. Nothing gives me greater pride than when I meet someone for the first time and they have already heard of RevRoad, and, better yet, already know what we stand for.?

Along those lines, I've had the privilege to participate on many company boards as an official board representative for RevRoad. Those moments have allowed me to look at businesses from a strategic standpoint, make recommendations, and help pull the pieces together or recruit key people that help founders grow their businesses faster.?

Another opportunity for personal growth has included the creation and execution of large events. As one who doesn't necessarily like to be in front of large crowds, I've emceed, developed content, and presented at many large community trainings solo or with my team at RevUniversity.? On that note, it has been extremely gratifying to encourage and see certain team members take on those responsibilities and grow into those capacities as well.? I've learned that keeping the agenda on track as well as providing thoughtful insights, minimal comic relief, and getting the audience involved are the best things you can do as an emcee.?

I’ve had the privilege to conduct some of our Featured Founder Interviews on stage as part of the RevU event. Referring again to events, I've also had the opportunity, with the help of an amazing team, to oversee and execute brilliantly on the largest events of the company, the RevRoad Rally and the RevRoad Entrepreneur Competition.? As I reflect back, one of the accomplishments I'm most proud of is the success we experienced bringing in a record number of potential portfolio applications than previous years all while managing the inherent challenges of COVID-19.? As I look to 2022, I’m excited for the continued success of another company event, Masters of Marketing, that launched in 2021 to help RevRoad portfolio companies enhance their marketing efforts.?

A few other highlights include opportunities to participate in panel discussions, be a guest on several podcasts, launch email campaigns, write many press releases, and help our companies find and secure influencers. Speaking of podcasts, I look forward to launching and co-hosting the RevRoad podcast in partnership with Central Bank and Jake McHargue as we uncover exciting entrepreneur stories and learnings in 2022! Get ready, you may be the next guest on the podcast.?

As an alumni of Utah State and corresponding Aggie, I’ve resigned to being somewhat of an outsider in the shadow of the Y mountain in the heart of Cougar territory. However, I've had the opportunity to be a guest speaker and lecturer in several college courses at BYU, UVU, and my alma mater USU.? The subject matter has often been entrepreneurship and basic elements of marketing. Recently I was asked to be on the founders board for the Center of Entrepreneurship at Utah State for which I’m very excited.?

Another element of which I'm especially proud is the opportunity I've had to successfully lead the most utilized and highest rated departments at RevRoad, the Marketing and Video teams. Not only is this humbling for me, but I’ve also retained several of those same incredible employees since the beginning days of RevRoad.?

One of my first goals as a RevRoad founder, taking me way outside my comfort zone, was to learn the skill of investor fund raising. I’m happy to report I have successfully raised over $1M personally and am the third largest fundraiser at RevRoad. I didn’t realize what a challenge this was but it was also very rewarding.? To date I’ve also assisted in some way or another with over 18 successful raises.?

In the early days, myself and a few other co-founders helped secure a great office space at the Rig, the current RevRoad HQ, that fits our brand. It has been a wonderful location for us to call home (minus challenges related to the open office floor plan…what a farce). However, as we grow too big for our current location, I look forward to leading the effort again in 2022 as we create and move into new space along with several of the RevRoad trusted partners.?

There's a few other things that come to mind in which I have participated in, led, helped create, or executed with our team. In our quest to help seed round or Series A startups grow, here's a rapid fire list of some of those things. We’ve garnered a record number of press stories during SEMA and other trade shows, helped recruit dozens of executives for multiple companies, produced over 150 videos for companies, helped rebrand over twenty companies, created many email campaigns, helped build social media strategies, website content, assisted in trade shows, marketing team retreats, secured multiple partnerships, recruited many portfolio companies, pulled off company launch events, and led hundreds of meetings to accomplish our goals.??

What a ride! We’ve seen people come and go throughout the last half-decade. However the one thing that always remains the same is the joy in working with passionate entrepreneurs who love their businesses. I’ve learned a lot over the years on how best to select winning portfolio companies. I can’t say we’ve figured out the exact winning formula but we’ve learned and uncovered several truths in selecting the best companies.? The #1 learning is the importance of founders. Business models, ideas, marketability, scalability, and recurring revenue are all important factors but full time, experienced, teachable, engaged, and smart founders trump all.?

Finally, besides working with some of the most talented and incredible people I've ever met, including investors and partners whom I adore, I feel like the highlight of RevRoad has been the people we have met along the way. Some of these include people like Ronnie Price, Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, Rep John Curtis, Carly Fiorina, Utah’s CEO of the Year Brad Bonham, and many successful entrepreneurs along the way including Johnny Hanna, Dennis Steele, Brock Blake, Nate Gardner, Andrew and Shauna Smith, Jeff Erickson, Bubba and Jordan Page, James Clarke, and Colby and McKenzie Bauer to name a few. There are so many amazing people that surround us on a daily basis.??

I look forward to 2022 with great anticipation and excitement. However it's been so fun to reminisce and look back a bit to see the progress, both personally and as an organization. I encourage all who have not done this to do so on this special day to see how far you’ve really come. Isn’t the entrepreneur journey exciting?!?

Onward and upward in 2022!??